Vending machines have long been in existence and provide a convenient and low cost way to distribute goods to purchasers. In particular, no sales personnel need be present to collect the payment or deliver the item being purchased. Rather, payment is secured within a vault and the vending machine allows the purchaser to gain access to the items being sold. Personnel thus need only periodically visit the vending machine to collect the money from the vault and reload the vending machine with items to be purchased.
While vending machines can be an efficient way to sell many items, some items have not heretofore been suitable for distribution from vending machines without significant risk of theft. Newspapers in particular, due to their large size, have required vending machines which give purchasers access to an entire stack of newspapers. With a typical newspaper vending machine (such as those provided by Kasper Wire Works Incorporated of Shiner, Tex.), the purchaser places coins into the vending machine to unlock a door of the vending machine. The door can then be opened and the purchaser has access to the entire stack of newspapers. This type of vending machine necessarily requires that the purchaser have sufficient integrity to only take one newspaper. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of the population is not willing to honor the trust given to them by prior art newspaper vending machines. As newspapers increase in price, the need to preclude such newspaper theft has increased.
In addition, many periodicals of higher value have not been successfully distributed through vending machines due to the unacceptably high cost of theft. For instance, magazines, and particularly weekly magazines, have a relatively high value and also take up a significant amount of space such that such magazines cannot be successfully sold through most common prior art vending machines. A need exists for a vending machine which can vend newspapers, magazines or other periodicals or other items in a way that precludes the likelihood of theft while still providing the convenience and cost effectiveness of distribution of such periodicals or other items by vending.
Furthermore, newspapers and other periodicals often generate significant income through advertising. One important aspect of advertising sales with periodicals is that the circulation rate of the periodical must be accurately known for the advertising rates to be properly calculated. With significant amounts of theft through vending machines, the accuracy of circulation information is thrown into doubt, making it more difficult to fairly charge advertisers for the degree of exposure the advertisements are getting. With a vending machine that can more successfully preclude theft, circulation numbers can be more accurately reported.